22 Jan 67- Rowland E. Gibson, SSG E-6, USASF,
C&C, Spike Team INDIANA-KIA small arms fire. Roland Gibson came into country in 1966 and was assigned to A--352 under B-35
located in Duc Hoa, the old rice mill in Hau Ngia province. He was a medic
that I went through training with, Ranger and a hard charger in ever respect.
Other than that much is unknown about him. Clarence Page

07

1967

02

7

E-7 SFC

James H.

Duncan

11F4S

KIA, DOW

Laos; CCC, FOB2, during BDA, w/
1LT Sisler

1967

02

7

O-2 1LT

George K.

Sisler

31542

KIA Medal of Honor

Laos; CCC, FOB2, during BDA, w/
SFC Duncan

7
7 Feb 67,
George K Sisler, lLt 0-2, Dexter MO, USASF, FOB 2 Kontum, Ops 35,
MACV SOG, KIA-RR (Medal of Honor Winner) Exploitation Force PIt Ldr; also James H Duncan, SFC E-7, USASF, KIA has been indicated as being on the
mission with George K. Sisler who was KIA on same date (?) (Exploitation Force
Plt Ldr, when his EF was hit on 3 sides by a Company size element. Lt Sisler
distinguished himself by exposing himself repeatedly while rescuing his wounded
men and killing the enemy in the process. When the Plt came under an extremely
heavy attack, he picked up grenades and charged the enemy single handedly,
firing his weapon and throwing hand grenades, which broke the enemy's assault,
compelling the enemy to withdraw. He continued to move about the battlefield
directing fire. Sisler stood to direct gun ships when a sniper's round cut him
down. He died there. George Sisler was awarded the Medal of Honor for his
actions. [Story featured in John Plaster's SOG A Photo History of the Secret
War, page 173]

George
K. Sisler Fr SF Honor Roll

1967

02

21

E-7 SFC

Domingo R. S.

Borja

11C4S

KIA, BNR, DSC

Laos; CCN, w/ RT??, YD188011, 20k
west of A Luoi

2121 Feb 67,Domingo R. S. Borja, SFC E-7, San Francisco, CA, USASF, MACV-SOG, Ops
35, KIA-Body Not Recovered. SF recon team member operating 1 mile west of
Laos/South Vietnam border. During a firefight, he and enemy soldier fired on and
killed each other. Remains left for recovery later/covered with leaves next to
distinctive tree. Search and Rescue searched entire area five days and found no
trace of him NOTE: For further information, contact Patty Hopper at tfoinc@inficad.com
home: (623) 979-5651. Col. & Mrs. Earl P. Hopper, Sr run Task Force Omega and
keep detailed info on all POWs and MIAs. Veteran of WW2 and Korea (POW - escaped)
award D.S.C.

A Note from The Virtual Wall

Domingo Borja was a member of a Special Forces reconnaissance
team. On February 21, 1967, the team was operating in Laos near the Laos/South
Vietnam border, in extreme northern Saravane Province very near the province
boundary with Savannakhet Province. The location is so near Vietnam that some
lists locate Borja's area of operations in South Vietnam. While trying to assist a wounded teammember, Borja was
confronted by an enemy soldier. Each fired at the other simultaneously, and both
were killed instantly. Both bodies were checked by 2 team members who detected
no signs of life whatever. Because of the enemy presence in the area, the remainder of
the team evaded and left the SFC Borja's body behind for later recovery.
Subsequent efforts over the next 5 days to locate and recover the remains were
unsuccessful. As of 18 Jul 2006 Sergeant First Class Domingo Borja's remains
have not been repatriated

1967

03

6

E-5 SGT

Howard B.

Carpenter

05B4S

KIA, BNR

Laos; B-50, FOB2, YD180036,
Operation DAWES, 21k WNW of A Luoi

06 Mar 67, Howard B Carpenter, SGT E-5,
Youngstown, OH, USASF, MACV-SOG, Ops 35 along with an unknown named and
number of other members of a Hatchet Force of SF Det B-5O, Project
"Omega," FOB-2, Ops-35 all KIA-bodies not recovered (On operation in the Tri
Border area, his HF Company came under hostile fire. SGT Carpenter left the
safety of his defensive position to recover wounded team members. He immediately
came into contact with 3 enemy soldiers where he killed two of them then his
weapon jammed and he was shot killing him instantly. Because of the adverse
situation caused by continued enemy attacks and the other wounded, the Hatchet
Force Company had to leave the dead behind)

31 Mar 67 Robert L Baldwin, Maj 04, US Air
Force, UH-1 Helicopter pilot, KIA-RR (His helicopter was lowering ammunition to
an Omega Recon Team when he was hit in the chest by a 12.7 mm enemy round. The
Co-pilot [new and inexperienced] was stunned, sat frozen and unable to react
causing the aircraft to crash]

UH-1F Huey (tail number 65-07932) of
the 20th Special Operations Squadron was tasked for an ammunition resupply
mission for a Special Operations reconnaissance team. While in a low hover,
delivering the munitions via hoist, the helicopter was hit by 12.7 mm
rounds. Major Baldwin, then commanding "E" Flight, was killed and the
copilot was wounded by the gunfire. The Huey crashed, but the surviving
crewmen escaped further injury and were rescued by the SOG team.

03-04 Jun 67 Ronald James
Dexter SFC E-7, Abilene, TX (Official date of death
29Jul67); Billy
Ray Laney, SFC E-7, Green
Acres City, FL - US Army Special Forces and an unknown number of SCU
Hatchet Force, FOB 1, Phu Bai, Ops 35; and
Stephen P. Hanson, Cpt 03, Pilot, Restful Lake, OH;
John G. Gardner, 1LT 0-3, CO-Pilot, Restful Lake, OH; and Timothy R. Bodden, SGT E-5,
USMC, Crew Chief, Downer Grove, ILL- Members
of The United States Marines Corps Aviation, HNMI65, CH46 Helicopter Crew "Shark
Three" Khe Sahn Launch Site, FOB 1, Ops 32 were MIA-Presumptive finding of
death. (A total of 23 Americans were lost; SOG raiders, Air Force and
Marine Pilots and crewman--plus twice as many Nungs). The target was Oscar 8 FOR DETAILS
SEE--> DEXTER/LANEY also see
page57, Hunting the Jackal by Sergeant Major Billy Waugh. A company size
hatchet force raid, commanded by Maj Jerry Kilburn, operating in Oscar 8 target
area, 18-22 KM SE of Khe Sanh, at an azimuth of 220 degrees, and near Route
#922, which contained the largest depot outside of Hanoi, well defended with
belts of antiaircraft guns. The Hatchet Force (HF) arrived at Khe Sanh, remained
overnight at the Launch Site, and inserted early in the morning. The terrain
favored the enemy and the area was within a horseshoe type land mass. Several
hundred SPAR (Special Agent Reports) had been intercepted from the target area
within a 24 hour period. These radio transmissions were originated by the NVA
and were possibly associated with the Commanding General of their Army Nuyen
Van Gaip. At 0545, SGM Billy William D. "Billy" Waugh boarded an 0-2
aircraft to fly FAC as the Covey Rider, flying toward the target, staying in the
"Gray Forrest" area along Route #222. At about 0630, the FAC observed the
Condensation Trails of nine (9) B-52's. The FAC performed 360's as the B-52
dropped their load, FAC flew over the target area, noticed several secondary
fires, and actually watched as the NVA rolled what appeared to be-barrels of
gasoline from one of the burning areas. The NVA were swarming, and immediately
took the FAC aircraft under fire with what was probably a set of 12.7 AA guns.
The FAC "hauled ass" away from the area, and sent a transmission to "scratch the
infil, as the area was crawling with pissed-off NVA." Too late, the transmission
did not make it in time. Due to the high hill range, just to the North of the LZ,
transmissions to the launch site were not completed. The raid began with an Arc
Light, and as soon as the Arc Light was over, the raider company arrived with
the mission to conduct a BDA of the arc light bombing, capture any WIA NVA, and
capture any NVA equipment in the area. The very first Marine HUEY Gun ship
across the intended LZ and was shot down to the south of the LZ. The first CH-47
(Chinook) with troops, was noticed landing just to the North of the intended LZ,
this bird was shot down as it lowered to the LZ and broke into two pieces on
impact. A second Chinook attempted landing, and was also shot down, An H-34 (SOG
rescue bird) came into the area, to infiltrate troops, and was shot down,
landing to the South of Route "922. The crew were seen fleeing from this bird,
to the West (Subsequently rescued). The approximate 100 SOG men that were
inserted were surrounded and had taken cover in a few bomb craters. SFC Laney
was last seen by SFC Wilklow, wounded in the back after boarding the a
helicopter, the aircraft was hit by enemy fire, then the pilot was shot, and it
veered out of control and crashed. After the aircraft crashed, it continued to
receive heavy fire, however, many of the personnel were rescued. SFC Laney was
last seen still in the helicopter chest shot and probably dead. Due to the enemy
situation, he was not recovered and a later search produced negative results .
Two A-1E’s came into the area, firing their guns, dropping napalm as requested
by the Team Leader. One of the A-1E’s was shot through by a hail of green
tracers, and rolled over-crashing without a parachute. The 2nd A-1E
was shot almost to pieces, but the fine pilot managed to land that bird at the
Khe Sanh airstrip (a hell of a feat). Two F-4's were performing close air
support, with one being blasted right in his forward portion, causing that bird
to crash. All this occurred within 30 minutes of the insert. During the initial
day of insert, rescue attempts were made to recover the WIA. Early morning of
the second day, the remainder of the Hatchet Force members were picked up. The
NVA were silent that day, as it appeared the NVA were encouraging an
exfiltration due to the 30-50 airstrikes they had endured. SFC Dexter was last
seen exiting a downed CH-46 helicopter and taken as a Prisoner of War, but never
reached North Vietnam alive. A report obtained from a captured Nung Commando who
was later released tells of Cpt Hanson, Lt Gardner, and Sgt Bodden being
executed by the North Vietnamese Soldiers (Dexter's official date of death is
listed as 29 Jul 67). Of the six Americans MIAs, only USMC
Lance Corporal Frank E. Cius, Jr. was confirmed by Hanoi. After Cius’s release
in 1973, he told Dexter’s brother that Ronald Dexter had been captured but died
in enemy hands. Note: SFC Charles Wilklow was wounded and in enemy hands. The
enemy used him as bait to try and bring in aircraft to rescue him. The enemy
tended to ignore him, thinking he was no risk due to his condition. He had
observed NVA in formations, giving orders, etc., expecting to die any minute.
After the 4th day with maggots in his open wound, barely clinging to
life, he somehow managed to crawl away during the night. Around mid day, the
following day a FAC flew overhead and SGM Waugh observed a body with a panel
over it and when the FAC made a second pass, the body sat up and SGM Waugh
recognized it was an American. When Wilklow came to, he was looking into the
face of SSG Roy Pace, a Black American, who had performed a one man bright light
by repelling in to rescue him. Wilklow was wearing a STABO rig and was extracted
by string.

THE MISSION

On June 3, 1967, Capt. Steven P. Hanson,
pilot; then-1st Lt John G. Gardner, co-pilot; Sgt Timothy R. Bodden, crew
chief/door gunner; LCpl Frank E. Cius, doorgunner; SFC Billy R. Laney, USArmy;
SFC Ronald J. Dexter, USArmy; SFC Charles F. Wilklow, US Army, and an unknown
number of ARVN personnel, all passengers, were aboard a CH46A helicopter (serial
#150955) on an extraction mission in Laos. Loss Coordinates were 161914N
1064049E (XD795050). Six CH-46 aircraft were involved in the mission. They
successfully flew in and loaded the Americans and South Vietnamese, but moments
after liftoff they came under heavy fire, and three of the aircraft went down,
including Gardnerï¿½s. Gardner's aircraft received extensive automatic small
arms fire upon takeoff from the Landing Zone, took numerous hits and crashed 350
meters from the LZ, located about 15 miles inside Laos west of the A Shau
Valley. The helicopter did not burn on impact, and continued to receive fire.
Three ARVN troops from the aircraft were able to return to the LZ. The troops
waiting at the LZ could not search because of the hostile threat in the area.
Air searches located the survivors of the crash, but they could not be
evacuated. The troops remaining at the LZ were extracted the following day. One
soldier who was captured by the Viet Cong that day and later released testified
to U.S. military investigators that he last saw Gardner strapped in the cockpit.
Captain Gardner's remains were repatriated in 1999 and identified in August
2000. He was buried, with military honors, in the Arlington National Cemetery.

15 Jun 67- Ben D. Snowden,
SFC E-7 (MSG E-8?),
USASF, B-56-KIA-RR and One unknownA-1 Skyraider pilot-MIA-Presumptive
finding of Death. Snowden, a passenger in a CH-34 Kingbee attempting to rescue
recon team that technically belonged to project Omega consisting of two
Americans and four Nungs who were surrounded by an enemy force. The enemy had
the team surrounded, but was not interested in destroying them. The team was
bait to draw in a helicopter. Due to the steep slopes, the helicopter required a
passenger to help load the team. Just as the team leader lifted one of his Nungs
up to the helicopter, a massive volume of fire erupted from a fixed, hidden
machine gun hitting the aircraft. The helicopter groggily rocked and lifted away
somehow making it back to SOG’s Dak To launch site, riddled with sixty-eight
bullet holes, its engine out, it slammed into a ditch. Snowden had been hit by
nine times and had died. The A-1 was a propeller driven aircraft, but saved the
day for the team, it received the exact heading to the hidden machine gun from
the team, rolled in, banked above the team and executed a bombing run, dropping
a shiny canister that spun end over end just above the team, spewing jellied
gasoline into the small cave mouth which provided cover for the machine gun, the
napalm flashed eliminating the machine gun allowing the team to be rescued. When
the A-1 was pulling away from the bomb run, it continued taking fire until it
belched smoke, nose up, with the pilot ejecting and the canopy fall away with
the parachute drifting into the NVA positions. The team was rescued by the same
pilot who piloted the helicopter that was shot up, who insisted on flying the
rescue mission because he knew the terrain.

Ben
with wife and daughterBen

A Note from The Virtual Wall

The 5th Special Forces Group's
Detachment B-50 was known as "Project Omega" and specialized in long-range recon
and intelligence-gathering missions in and across South Vietnam's border
regions. Although accounts vary, it appears that Sergeant Snowden was flying as
a passenger aboard a RVNAF CH-34 "King Bee" helicopter in support of the
extraction of a recon team which had been engaged by North Vietnamese troops.
The helicopter was heavily hit by ground fire and was forced to withdraw; SGT
Snowden is the only known fatality aboard the aircraft. One report on the
macvsog.org site states that the King Bee pilot returned to the patrol's
location in another helicopter and extracted the six-man team.

25 March 2002

Until recently,
basically all our family knew of Ben's military career was the info given
previously. We did not find out until recently (35 years later) the extent
of his military prowess. Thanks to the marvels of the internet and the fact
that so much of this information is now declassified we have discovered that
Ben was a member of a highly skilled group of ace fighting units consisting
of Army Green Berets, Air Force Air Commandos and Navy Seals. Information
regarding Ben's last mission is in a book on pp. 103-107 written by
three-tour SOG veteran Major John L. Plaster entitled "SOG, The Secret Wars
of America's Commandos in Vietnam".

The Studies and
Observations Group was "the most secret elite U.S. military unit to serve in
the Vietnam War - so secret its very existence was denied by the
government." According to John Plaster's book the group answered only to the
Pentagon and the White House and his book gives an account of "SOG's
stunning operations behind enemy lines - penetrating heavily defended North
Vietnamese military facilities, holding off mass enemy attacks, launching
daring missions to rescue downed U.S. pilots. From sabotage to espionage to
hand-to-hand combat, these are some of the most extraordinary true stories
of honor and heroism in the history of the U.S. military."

The SOG's operations
in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam are spellbinding and although it was
painful to hear in excruciating detail of some of these missions, we are
thankful to men such as Major Plaster and the other brave men of SOG for
sharing their stories with us.

At the time of his
death, Ben was assigned to Detachment B-50, 5th Special Forces Group
(Airborne). He was a member of MACV/SOG, Project Omega, Forward Operating
Base Two, Operation Daniel Boone on 15 June 1967.

R

A photo of MSG Ben Snowden, during service in Vietnam.-Photo
furnished by Rodolfo Gonzalez

John Snowden, older brother of Ben Snowden, and Roger
Widdows, right, holds a shadow box of with Ben’s picture and service
medals from Vietnam outside of the VFW Post named in his honor-Photo
furnished by Rodolfo Gonzalez

A photo of MSG Ben Snowden, copied at the VFW Post named
after him in Georgetown.-Photo
furnished by Rodolfo Gonzalez

Great News!! Senator Cornyn's office notified us that effective 17
Dec 2012, Msg Ben D Snowden, B-50 Project Omega, 5th Special Forces,
MACVSOG, has been awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in the
action that took his life on 15 June 1967.

I was able to contact John Plaster who aided our cause with his
recap in his book "SOG" and with connections to Lowell
Stevens (God Rest Him). After only a three year ordeal, the Army
finally made the award. There are a couple dozen former SF troops
who aided us immensly so if you could post this on your SOG site to
let your SOG following it would be appreciated.

A photo of MSG Ben Snowden, copied at the VFW Post
named after him in Georgetown.

Ben Snowden enlisted in the army in 1954 at age 17
while he was still in Georgetown High School. Twelve years later, he was
on his third tour of duty in the Vietnam War when he tried to rescue
several soldiers under fire on a patrol in Laos.

The helicopter that he was on had to hover about eight
feet from the ground because tree stumps prevented it from landing.
Snowden, a member of the special forces who was 6 feet 6 inches tall,
reached down to grab a soldier being lifted up by a commander.

He never made contact. An enemy shot him several times
in the chest with a machine gun, and Snowden died instantly. It was June
15, 1967.

His family found out this month — 45 years after he
died — that he will be awarded the Silver Star for his courage.

“Our family is just thrilled it finally happened,”
said one of his brothers, John Snowden of Georgetown. Snowden, a Marine,
said he didn’t find out all the details of his brother’s death until
30 years after he died because the information was labeled classified.

He didn’t try to get a medal for his brother because
his brother was a modest person. “He never cared about medals and
thought he was just doing his job and probably if he was alive would
have never pushed for it,” Snowden said.

The person who did push for the medal was Roger
Widdows, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Georgetown and who never knew
Ben Snowden. He said he met John Snowden on Memorial Day in 2009 and was
struck by the similarities in their lives.

“It turned out that we had both lost our younger
brothers in helicopter incidents in Vietnam,” Widdows said. “I said
to myself if that had been my brother who was not getting any
recognition for what he did, I would not feel good about it.”

Widdows said he contacted U.S. Sen. John Cornyn’s
office in 2009 about Ben Snowden but that it took three years to supply
all the documents detailing what happened in order to get approval for
the medal. “I must have contacted about 75 people, and many wanted to
remain anonymous,” he said.

Widdows said he read a book called “SOG: The Secret
War of American Commandos in Vietnam” by another Vietnam veteran named
John Plaster, which provided details of Snowden’s last mission. He
said Plaster helped him track down one of Ben Snowden’s former
commanders — Lowell Stevens — who saw the incident. Stevens, who has
since died, was able to help supply Widdows with an eyewitness account,
Widdows said.

Snowden’s helicopter had to crash land in a ditch
after Snowden was shot, Stevens wrote in an email he sent in 2004 to
Carra Elkins, one of Snowden’s sisters. “For reasons I still can’t
explain, I insisted on counting the bullet holes in the chopper he was
on,” the email said. “There were 68 holes in the chopper. … He
sacrificed his life in an attempt to help his fellow soldiers.”

“Ben was a vital part of our family, and we still
miss him every day,” Elkins said. “He has always been my hero, but
now he is everyone’s hero.”

Ben Snowden was 29 years old and married with three
children when he died. His wife, Betty, never remarried and is
recovering from surgery in Tennessee, John Snowden said.

Ben Snowden was the first soldier from Georgetown to
die in Vietnam, John Snowden said. Georgetown VFW Post 8587 is named in
his honor.

1967

07

3

E-7 SFC

Leo Earl

Seymour

11C4S

MIA-PFD

Laos; CCC, FOB2, RT Texas,
YB575326 4k SW of Leghorn

03 Jul 67 Leo Earl Seymour, SGT E5, Towanda,
Penn, USASF Spike Team Leader of ST Texas, FOB 1, Phu Bai, Ops 35 Recon patrol
in Laos MIA-Presumptive finding of death. (SGT Seymour called in two air strikes
on a discovered Viet Cong position. After the air strikes, the team was directed
to make a Bomb Damage Assessment [BDA] but decided to set up an ambush on a
trail junction 11 miles inside of Laos northwest of Ben Het in the Dale Xow
River Valley. Before the ambush location could be completed, two large hostile
columns converged and noticed a propaganda poster tacked to a tree that had not
been there before and began a search of the area, spotting the forward security
element of the team which opened fire on the hostile force and the team came
under heavy enemy fire. The team retreated to a defensive position, and again
came under enemy fire. The team conducted an E&E maneuver. No one saw Sgt
Seymour after the defensive position came under attack. No search was made due
to the heavy enemy activity in the area). Oct 6,
2008-unsuccessful search for Leo Semour, RT Texas, Loss: July 3 1967, Attopeu,
Laos. My team and I searched and recovered no remains. I found a half-burried NVA-type
AK magazine harness with a white plastic spoon in it-(I assumed it to be from a
C-Rat). I also found a .32 cal bullet. We tried to recreate the events based on
the reports available and spent a great deal of time searching. Nothing else was
recovered and we were sent to other sites for exploitation.-From: Neal Riley, SOA #2618-GL,
JTFFA-Full Accounting

Leo
E. Seymore fr Vir Vn Wall

Seymore fr SF Honor Roll

A Note from The Virtual Wall

Then-Staff Sergeant Leo E. Seymour spent four years
in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining the Army. He advanced in rank and
training until 1967, when he was assigned to Command and Control Central,
MACV-SOG.
On July 3, 1967, Seymour was a team leader of a joint U.S and indigenous
reconnaissance patrol on a combat mission in Laos. The team was called Recon
Team "Texas" and was operating about ten miles inside Laos in Attopeu Province.
During the mission, the patrol stopped on a small hill for a break. During this
break, the patrol observed a number of enemy forces moving down a trail 25
meters from their position. SSGT Seymour directed an air strike on the enemy
location. Following the air strike, Seymour set up an ambush on a small
secondary trail. While Seymour was readying the patrol for the ambush in the
Dale Xow River Valley, two sizeable enemy columns converged at the trail
junction and noticed a psywar propaganda poster which had been tacked on a tree
by a member of the "Texas" patrol. Realizing the poster had not been there
before, the enemy began searching and spotted the forward security man of the
patrol. The security then opened fire and an intense firefight followed. The
patrol split into several elements and broke contact with the enemy. Upon
rallying, the patrol could not locate SSGT Seymour. No team member could recall
having seen Seymour after the initial contact, nor did they hear him at any
time. It is not know n if he was wounded. If he departed the area, his direction
of travel was unknown. On May 28, 1974, a report indicated SSGT Seymour's last
known location was in the vicinity of coordinates YB575326. Hostile threat in
the area of loss precluded any on-ground inspections of the area while the U.S.
maintained a presence in Southeast Asia. SSGT Seymour's remains were never
recovered. From the POW
Network

04 Jul 67 Marlin J. Goodhue,
SFC, Thomas L. Terry,
SFC and 4
Vietnamese Commando Team Members from CCC/FOB 2 died as a result of a mid air
collision of two H-34 helicopters after the team was extracted from a mission.
There were no US H-34's involved in a crash that day nor any pilots killed thus
the two were possibly Veitnamese H-34's. The below Prarie Fire Top Secret Report
provides details of their demise. FOR DETAILS SEE-->
GOODHUE/TERRY.

Thomas
Terry (Left)l T

homas
Terry Fr SF Honor Roll (Left)

"From: Edward Thatcher <lee1sfga@earthlink.net>
To: ghwva@aol.com
They both died on 4 July. I was with them in Da Nang at the C and C hq that
morning. We had few in from FOB #2 at Kontum for a radio class and some R & R. I
had been with them but got separated the night before and didn't see them again
until the choppers were going to leave that morning. I decided to stay another
few days. I remember giving Terry my last pack or Newport cigarettes as he ran
out. They were both my close friends. Me and SSG Miller, John B. stay behind
that day. I few hours later we heard the the the choppers had collided in mid
air. They were mercinaries vietnamese flying them I believe. Terry, Miller, and
me were legs that volunteer for a top secret
assignment. We were not special forces at the time. SGM Desoto sent us to jump
school at Da Nang and later we were awarded the "S" before leaving Viet Nam. I
served until 1991 in Special Forces and Retired as a SGM. SGM Edward Lee
Thatcher
lee1sfga@earthlink.net"

a. There were ten Spike Team missions in the
PRAIRIE FIRE area of operations during the period 1-7 Jul 67.

b. Aircraft supporting PRAIRIE FIRE missions
received increased amounts of 12.7 mm, .50 Caliber, and, primarily 37mm AA fire
during this period. One mission had to be aborted due to the intensity of 37mm
AA fire in the target area.

c. There were 75 TAC air sorties and 45 B-52
sorties in the PRAIRIE FIRE AO during this period.

2. (TS) SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS:

a. Spike Team IDAHO landed in the vicinity
of target MIKE-3(YD090010) at YD071013 ON 301140Z Jun 67. During the night of 30
Jun-1 Jul 67 the ST heard an undetermined but large number of heavy trucks
moving in both directions on Route 922 in the vicinity of YD074025 to YD093025.
The ST also heard an estimated enemy company searching the area around the RON
location and speaking in a North Vietnamese dialect. On 1 Jul 67 the ST moved to
YD078014 and was extracted on 010935Z Jul 67. During the extraction a large
secondary explosion with thick, black smoke resulting from an airstrike was
observed in the vicinity of YD081012.

b. Spike Team TEXAS landed in the vicinity
of target CHARLIE-7 (YB509302) at YB513303 on 010700Z Jul 67. The ST observed
the Dak Xou river from YB513303 to YB575323. This portion of the river is not
navigable due to a series of rapids. On 3 Jul 67 the ST encountered an estimated
NVA Company. The enemy personnel were wearing khaki uniforms, pith helmets and
rucksacks. They were carrying AKs or some type of unidentified automatic
weapons.During the ensuing fire fight the ST became split and one USSF [Leo E
Seymour] and three VN team members were initially MIA. Before extraction one
USSF team member found approximately 50 shallow one man foxholes at YB570325.
Two USSF and three VN team members were extracted from the vicinity of Target
CHARLIE-7 at YB541321 on 031000Z Jul 67. SAR Operation continues.

c. On 3 Jul 67 an attempt was made to insert
one Spike Team in the vicinity of target AS-5 9 (YD160020). However, intense
37mm AA fire in the target area caused the mission to be aborted.

d. Spike Team NEW YORK landed in the
vicinity of target ROMEO-6 (YC472010) at YB461983 on 010400Z Jul 67. Shortly
after leaving the LZ the ST observed five enemy personnel wearing black pajamas,
straw coolie hats, pistol belts without packs or other web gear, and carrying
semi-automatic weapons. The ST observed a 12 foot square bunker with no overhead
cover at YB457990. While attempting to emplace two M7A vehicle mines at YB443987
the ST was observed by four enemy personnel wearing black pajamas. One of the
enemy was wearing a baseball cap and carrying a pistol, the others were wearing
black bush hats and carrying rifles. The ST was extracted from the ROMEO-6
target area at YC436001 on 030955Z Jul 67. While the ST was being flown from the
launch site in SVN to the FOB at Kontum, a mid-air collision between the two
CH-34s resulted in the death of two USSF and four VN team members and two
helicopter crew members in one helicopter, injuries to the remainder of the ST
in the other helicopter, and the destruction of both CH-34s......" (Note: The only USSF Personnel that died in South Vietnam on
July 3 and 4, 1967 were SFC Marlin J. Goodhue, SFC Thomas L. Terry, and SGT Leo
Earl Seymour. Therefore, deduction leaves the only possible SF personnel to have
been Goodhue and Terry) SFC Terry's OMPF file
shows: HHC5thSFG(ABN) 1stSF MACSOG...LT WPNS LDR...22May 67 (and had previously
been with 1/35 - 25thID). Reg Manning has him correctly coded to CCC/FOB2.
since they were flying from the launch site to Kontum I suspect the guys would
have been with FOB2 or later known as CCC. The report indicates they actually
died on 7/3/67......but the Army didn't report them KIA until 7/4 when the
170AHC got there to retrieve the remains. This information was compiled by
Bruce Swander Washington, DC USMC/66-70 and Robert L. Noe

1967

07

12

E-7 SFC

Robert J.

Sullivan

11C4S

KIA, BNR

Laos; CCN, FOB1, YD177031, w/ SFC
Almendariz, 21 k west of A Luoi

1967

07

12

E-7 SFC

Samuel

Almendariz

11F4S

KIA, BNR

Laos; CCN, FOB1, YD177031, w/ SFC
Sullivan, 21 k west of A Luoi

12 Jul 67 Almendariz,
Samuel, SFC 3-7, McAllen,
TX and Robert Jospeh Sullivan,
SFC E-7, East Almstead, NH, USASF
Spike Team Members, FOB 1, CCN, Phu Bai, Ops 35 Recon mission of Savanakhet Province,
Laos KIA-Remains Not Recovered. (The team came under an attack that lasted for
four hours with a superior force. The only surviving American reported that both
SFC Almendariz and SFC Sullivan had been mortally wounded. The team was
ambushed, not by men firing weapons, but NVA who leaped out of nowhere. One NVA
wrestled Sullivan's weapon from him, then shot him dead, spun around and shot
SFC Harry Brown through the shoulder, as another NVA shot Almendaiz dead. Brown
and half the team broke away and ran and was able to get a radio message off.
During the rescue of Brown and the remainder of the team, a single Kingbee flown
by Cowboy with MSG Charles Minnick without fire support and a shot up aircraft
(The bird had been shot up on the first attempt, returned to Khe Sanh for
refueling. A search conducted on 16 July of the area. No remains were located),
Cowboy was shot through the neck, but somehow, he flew the Kingbee with one hand
and slowed the bleeding with the other while Minnick dragged the wounded aboard.
A search team was inserted on Jul 16, but was unsuccessful in locating either
Americans. NOTE: The legendary "Bill Waugh" felt Cowboy's valor should have won
him the Medal of Honor. [See pg 105-106 SOG A Photo History of the Secret Wars
by John Plaster] Please see A Man is Not Dead Until He is Forgotten

Robert
J Sullivan

Notes from The Virtual Wall

On 10 July 1967 a surveillance team composed of three American Special Forces
soldiers and eight South Vietnamese Nungs was inserted just inside Laos in the
extreme southeast portion of Savannakhet Province. The team was tasked with
surveillance of a branch of the Ho Chi Minh Trail which followed Route 922 into
the A Shau Valley. Although the team avoided contact through the 11th, at
mid-morning on the 12th they were attacked by a platoon-size enemy force. Two of
the Nungs were killed in the first exchange of fire, and two of the three
Americans wounded shortly thereafter in the second exchange. After a five-hour
running fight, six of the eleven men, all wounded, were extracted - one American
and five Nungs. During his debrief the surviving American (Harry D. Brown)
stated that he was present when the other two Americans -
SFC Robert J Sullivan
and SFC Samuel Almendariz - were killed by enemy fire. Search forces went back into the area of contact over the next few days but
failed to locate the bodies of the missing men. Almendariz and Sullivan were
listed as killed in action, body not recovered.

Notes from The Virtual
Wall

On 10 July 1967 a surveillance team composed of three
American Special Forces soldiers and eight South Vietnamese Nungs was inserted
just inside Laos in the extreme southeast portion of Savannakhet Province. The
team was tasked with surveillance of a branch of the Ho Chi Minh Trail which
followed Route 922 into the A Shau Valley. Although the team avoided contact
through the 11th, at mid-morning on the 12th they were attacked by a
platoon-size enemy force. Two of the Nungs were killed in the first exchange of
fire, and two of the three Americans wounded shortly thereafter in the second
exchange. After a five-hour running fight, six of the eleven men, all wounded,
were extracted - one American and five Nungs. During his debrief the surviving
American (Harry D. Brown) stated that he was present when the other two
Americans - SFC Robert J Sullivan and
SFC Samuel
Almendariz - were killed by enemy fire. Search forces went back into the
area of contact over the next few days but failed to locate the bodies of the
missing men. Almendariz and Sullivan were listed as killed in action, body not
recovered. From the POW
Network

Albert F. Sayer, Jr., CPT 0-3, USAF,
FAC, C&C-KIACaptains Albert Sayer and J. J. Cappel,
both of the 19th TASS, were conducting a visual recon mission in an O-1E Birddog
(tail number 56-4177) when they were shot down by automatic weapons fire two
miles south of Bien Hoa. Captain Sayer died of his injuries; Captain Cappel was
rescued

30 May 2001

Al Sayer was a brave and exceptionally courageous
man. He flew combat missions in support of the SIGMA team, where I first met
him. When that unit was decimated, he was transferred to Vung Tau and flew
combat missions in support of the 1st Australian Task Force. One night flying a
mission, he and a fellow pilot crashed and lay in the jungle all night. Although
critically injured, Al remained quiet to avoid alerting the enemy searching for
them. The other pilot reported that just before daybreak, Al said "I hope you
make it", threw up and died. When daylight came, the other pilot was shocked to
see that Al's face had been completely torn off and was on the top of his head.
He could not believe that Al forced himself to bear such pain to save his
friend's life. Al, from one that knew first-hand of your bravery, I salute you
and will always keep your memory with me. Rest in Peace. Joe
Potter 670 Sun Hills Drive, Colorado Springs, Co 80921 jpottercs@aol.com

SVN; A-502, Khahn Hoa Prov.,
during night ambush on his last operation at A-502; was on orders for FOB2

1967

11

2

E-7 SFC

David A.

Woods

05B4S

KIA, DWM

Laos; CCN, FOB1, RT Kansas, w/
Hawkins

01-02 Nov 67 David Alexander Woods, SFC E-7, one-one, Don Albert Hawkins, SGT E-5,
one two, USASF, and Frank Ray Noe,
SFC E-7, USASF ST Kansas,
FOB 3, KIA-RR.
According to page 159, volume III, Harve Saal's SOG MACV Studies and
Obserbvation Group, Behind Enemy Lines, Legends. This report is in error! It
states: Hawkins, Woods, and Noe were serving as Spike Team Members, FOB 1, Phu
Bai, Ops 35 (The team discovered a gray, enemy communications wire and were
directed to place a "Tap" on it. However, due to heavy enemy activity in the
area, the team decided to "cut" the wire. The enemy sent out an element to check
the wire and discovered the team resulting in a fierce fire fight. SFC Noe and
SGT Hawkins was killed on 1 Nov and SFC Woods was killed on 2 Nov. The report
also noted there was A SGT Brown was wounded in the shoulder and managed to
escape and was rescued, however, again, there was no Sgt Brown on this mission,
this Sgt Brown is Harry Brown who was wounded on 12 Jul 67 where
Samuel Almendairz, SFC 3-7, McAllen,
TX and Robert Jospeh Sullivanwere killed.
Correct Version: "....Hawkins: one-two, Woods: one-one, were brought to their
demise, via four each claymores...From what I gather...there may have been one
or two SCU survivors...As for the claymores, Charlie creped upon the team, and
being true to form, setting four of them out on the compass azimuths of: N,E,S,
& W. 'Sir Charles' turned them around during the night and started popping caps
in the morning, and whoever held the detonator, popped it, and in even 12'
elephant grass doesn't stop those pellets. Thus, 'they got blown up by their
own claymores. The only survivor was "Scooter" Davis. Davy Woods, my kid
brother. While I was in Saigon on debriefing, Billy Waugh took every swinging
Richard in camp out to retrieve the bodies, and found Scooter still breathing.
filed by James "Jim Ringo" Ringland.
Note: After much work, it is determined Frank Noe was not killed in the same
mission as Woods and Hawkins. He was Killed in Action on 01 Nov 67 while serving
with Special Forces Detachment A-502 during an ambush.. Filed by: Robert L. Noe, SFC, CCN See
correct events on Frank's death.

LTC John W. Armstrong,
commander of the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at Da Nang, South
Vietnam, and Weapons System OfficerCAPT Lance P. Sijan
were tasked with a bombing mission in the Ho Chi Minh Trail area of Laos. The
target was Ban Loboy Ford, and a second F-4C was along as wingman. Shortly
before 9 PM, Armstrong rolled in on the target and released his ordnance. Almost
immediately, the aircraft was engulfed in a ball of fire and entered a banking
climb to about 10,000 feet before rolling to a near vertical plunge into the
jungle below. Neither the Forward Air Controller nor Armstrong's wingman saw
parachutes, but initiated SAR at once. The SAR forces established contact with
Sijan, who was badly hurt during his ejection and landing, but were unable to
pick him up. SAR efforts continued the next day, but were called off when no
further radio contact could be established with Sijan. No contact was made at
any time with LTC John Armstrong. Both men were placed in MIA status. Although
wounded and without food, water, or even his survival kit, Sijan managed to
evade the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese forces for 46 days before being
captured on Christmas Day 1967. By that time, he was emaciated and in extremely
poor shape. Never the less, he managed to cold-cock his guard and escape, but
was recaptured within hours. He was transported to a holding compound in Vinh,
North Vietnam, where he was put into the care of other American POWs. After
another trip to Hanoi, Sijan's body failed him and he died of wounds and
exhaustion on 22 January 1968. His mental determination and physical stamina so
impressed his fellow POWs that, upon their return, Sijan was nominated for and
received the Medal of Honor. Further details are available on a number of web
sites; Mishalov's site and the
POWNetwork.org are
recommended. CAPT Sijan's remains were repatriated in 1974

Dear Sir, I was the
air craft commander of the two Army UH1/D helicopters that had inserted this
team earlier that day @ was sent out about 2200 to make an emergency night
extraction under fire. We were the 190th AHC ,slicks SPARTANS @ our gunships
were the GLADIATORS. I made my approach from the west to a single strob light
on the side of the hill with all a/c lights out. All the SOG t/m loaded from
the left side,. When SGT Fleming @ SGT Baxter got to the side of the a/c , a
loud discussion took place about who was going @ who was staying, at the same
time my right doorgunner opens fire @ states the NVA are coming out the ground
like ants. SGT. Baxter orders SGT Fleming on the a/c @ we lift off @ my
wingman comes to a high hover @ takes a RPG round in the upper right section
of the a/c @ rolls down the hill to the ravine at the bottom. All the 4
crewmembers survived the crash @, evaded the NVA all night, BUT crewchief
SGT
William A. Whitney,
died due to crash injuries, before being rescued. His body was found with his
M60 in his lap. An escorting KINGBEE a/c tried to pick up my wingmans crew 2
also was shot down. SOG :HQ alerted 37th asr out of Da Nang, Jolly26 @
Jolly29, Jolly29 made an approach w/lights out , took many hits . J.29
picked up 3 pac. @ made an emergency landing at Kan San. Jolly 26 picked up
SGT. Baxter @ SGT Kusick @ was shot down during take off. I dropped my pac.
at the USMC hospital @ landed back at SOG HQ. THE next day we rescued 7
crewmembers @ inserted a 80 man hatchet force to recover the bodies. Rescued
crewmemers; WO Woolridge, WO Zanow , SP Jarvis,all three KINGBEE
crewmembers and CPT. Young. IRA TAYLOR SPARTAN 52 (Posted Sep 25, 2006)

Notes from The Virtual Wall

On 08 November 1967, two HH-3E SAR helicopters of
the 37th ARRS departed Danang Air Base for an emergency extraction of a
Special Forces road watch team operating in Laos. Shortly after midnight on 09
Nov 67 JOLLY GREEN 29 picked up part of the team before being severely damaged
by hostile fire and forced to leave the area. His wingman, JOLLY GREEN 26,
then attempted pick-up of the two remaining team members. The two men were
brought aboard by hoist, but as the HH-3E (now with 6 men aboard) began
lift-out it was heavily hit and crashed in flames. A search
team was inserted into the area during the afternoon of 09 November and
reached the downed helicopter as dusk approached. The search team did not
actually search the HH-3 wreckage until after daybreak on 10 November, at
which time they recovered and identified the remains of five men (three
aircrew and the two Special Forces team members). The HH-3E pilot, Captain
Gerald O. Young, had escaped the burning aircraft and was recovered (Captain
Young received the Medal of Honor for his actions). Weather and enemy action
precluded removal of the bodies from the area, so that five men were left
behind when the search team was extracted:

TFO states that two helicopters
(one US UH-1B and one South Vietnamese H-34) were downed in the area before
JOLLY GREEN 29 made the first pickup, and Captain Young's MoH Citation
contains the sentence "Previous (pickup) attempts had resulted in the loss
of 2 helicopters to hostile ground fire." The POW Network makes no mention
of these two aircraft. The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots' Association database
shows one UH-1B (64-13986, 282nd AHC) hit on 8/9 November, but that aircraft
returned to base. The database contains no mention of a downed SVN H-34.

The POW Network includes a 12 Mar
2001 e-mail from Jeff Nash, MSgt USAF (Ret), citing mission reports from the
37th ARRS and a supporting MC-130 crew which indicate all five men were
located and identified; TFO states that only four bodies were located and
identified.

TFO states that after the HH-3E
went down there were a total of 23 US/SVN personnel on the ground (12
road-watch team members, 4 US crewmen from the UH-1B, 3 ARVN from the ARVN
H-34, and 4 US from the HH-3H (sic)) and that all but the five listed above
were recovered on 09 Nov; apart from 5 road-watch teammembers (3 on JOLLY
GREEN 29; 2 on JOLLY GREEN 26) the POW Network mentions only Captain Young.

TFO incorrectly identifies JOLLY GREEN 26
as an HH-3H rather than an HH-3E, a small but inexplicable error

Regardless of the discrepancies
between TFO and the POW Network reports, two indisputable facts remain Five Americans died when JOLLY

received posthumous Air Force Crosses for their parts in the rescue attempt

1967

11

10

E-5 SP5

Michael A.

Hoglund

11B4S

DNH, accidental homicide

SVN; B-50, at FOB2, in Kontum
outside the barracks

10 Nov 67 Michael A. Hoglund, SGT E-5, USASF,
DET B-56, Kontum, Radio Operator, Project Omega (13-50), Killed by SFC Allen, a
friend, in an argument over a female. (Shot with a 9mm pistol through a screened
window of the Project Omega Bldg, FOB2. Due to the secrecy of SOG, the killer,
SFC Allen was fined a carton of cigarettes and reassigned from SOG suffering no
further punishment). {Filed by Don Martin, SOA, * I was present at FOB-2 that
evening, along with several of my fellow aviators, crew chiefs, door gunners.
However, we were asleep at the time of the incident as I recall. We were told
the story by SF personnel the next day. As I remember it, two SF NCOs, nicknamed
"Snake" and "Squirrel" told us what happened, filling in some of the details
over a period of days and nights, with the latter spent around a small campfire
while drinking beer and thinking about what perils awaited us on the next
mission to Laos or Cambodia. I must add that it now seems, after reading your
web page, that the stories we heard were probably embellished quite a bit. What
I heard made it sound at the time like a gun duel in old Laredo, or the gunfight
at the O. K. corral. Also, we originally heard (and I don't recall hearing
anything different back in 1968) that the argument was over a card game, versus
a woman, with lots of drinking and accusations of cheating (at cards) involved.
I just remember it was quite a story at the time, but never really knew if any
of what I heard was factual or not}. Version 2: John Plaster's book,
SOG A Photo History of the Secret War, page 108: describes Sgt Hoglund as being
killed in action as part of a Hatchet force sent in to rescue the Jolly Green
surviving crew, Cpt Young, USAF, Jolly Green Pilot received the Medal of Honor
for his action this date]-see 9 Nov 67 action above.

15 Dec 67 Dan Wagner, Jr. SFC E-7, USASF, FOB 2,
Kontum, Tm Ldr, RT Nevada, KIA-RR.(See Kedenburg, KIA 13
Jun 68)Silver Star Citation: Sergeant First Class
Wagner distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 15 December
1967 while serving as patrol leader of a long range reconnaissance team
operating in enemy controlled territory. His team was infiltrated into an area
containing major enemy troop concentrations and installations, with the mission
of locating them and destroying them with tactical air strikes. Although the
patrol was discovered and pursued, Sergeant Wagner declined to call for
evacuation and expertly maneuvered his team to evade the enemy. During this
movement, he pinpointed several large troop concentrations. He then led the
patrol to high ground and requested fighter aircraft. As he directed devastating
air strikes on the hostile forces and equipment, the team suddenly began
receiving intense fire from an enemy unit which had followed the patrol's
maneuver. Sergeant Wagner alertly diverted the air strikes to the attackers.
Exposed to a savage hail of bullets, he continued to direct the fighter aircraft
until the insurgents fled in disorder. Sergeant Wagner was mortally wounded by
sniper fire while skillfully adjusting lethal air strikes on the routed enemy.
His courageous actions saved the lives of his comrades and enabled them to
complete the mission. Sergeant First Class Wagner's gallantry in action, at the
cost of his life, was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military
service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States
Army.

21 DEC 67 Lee D. Scurlock, Jr., SSG E-6, Restful
Lake, OH, USASF, FOB 1, Phu Bal, Ops35, Recon Team
operating in Laos, MIA-Presumptive finding of death. (SSG Scurlock was a member
of a team operating 18 miles west of Vietnam, on the Laotian-Cambodian boundary
of the tri-border region, which had come under heavy enemy fire from the front
and rear, rescue could not be made by landing due to adverse terrain conditions;
thus, a rope ladder was deployed by the 119th Aviation Company (Gator
376). As the last man to be rescued, SSG Scurlock began to climb the ladder,
after the 3rd rung on the 1st attempt, lost his grip,
removed his rucksack and radio then began to climb slowly, appearing weak and
possibly wounded, encouraged by the door gunner he climbed to almost to the
point of reaching outstretched hands to give him help, he fell off the ladder
fifty feet to the ground, landed on his neck and head, rolled down the hillside
and was stopped by a small tree.. It is reported Scurlock was thrown from the
ladder when the aircraft’s windshield exploded because of enemy fire causing the
pilot to jerk the aircraft. Heavy enemy activity precluded recovery and a later
search of the area did not find SSG Scurlock).

A Note from The Virtual Wall

On the night of 28/29 December 1967, a "Combat Talon"
MC-130E (tail number 64-0547) departed Nha Trang for a special operations
mission over North Vietnam. The aircraft and the crew (Combat Talon crew S-01)
were assigned to Detachment 1, 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, 13th AF, based at
Nha Trang. The mission involved a low-level incursion into northwestern North
Vietnam, with a propaganda leaflet drop that would be followed by a diversionary
resupply drop in the Song Da Valley. These drops were intended to fool the North
Vietnamese into thinking there were clandestine teams working within a
particular area. Progress along the route was reported by "quick-burst" radio
signals. At about 4 AM the crew reported completion of the leaflet drop. Nothing
further was heard, and the aircraft did not return to base. Although extensive
efforts were made to locate the crash site, it was not found. The 11 crewmen
were classed as Missing in Action. In 1977 and 1978 the Secretary of the Air
Force approved Presumptive Findings of Death for the eleven missing crewmen, all
of whom had been promoted while in MIA status. The eleven crewmen were

Colonel Charles P. Claxton, Chicago,
IL

Colonel Donald E. Fisher, Halfway,
OR

Lt Col Edwin N. Osborne, Raiford, FL

Lt Col Gerald G. Van Buren, Toledo,
OH

Lt Col Gordon J. Wenaas, Mayville,
ND

Major Frank C. Parker, Bridgeport,
PA

CMSgt Edward J. Darcy, Portland, ME

CMSgt Wayne A. Eckley, Enterprise,
OR

CMSgt Jack Mc Crary, Madison, TN

CMSgt Gean P. Clapper, Altoona, PA

SMSgt James R. Williams, Charlotte,
NC

In the early 1990s the crash site was
located about 100 feet below the summit of a 4900-foot-high karst cliff in the
mountains of Lau Chau Province, NVN, some 32 miles northeast of Dien Bien Phu.
Investigations in 1992 identified the aircraft and led to a full-scale
excavation in 1993. Department of Defense analysts concluded from the
distribution of the aircraft wreckage that the C-130 hit the mountainside and
that the crew was unaware of the impending crash. The identification of the very
fragmented human remains repatriated on 13 December 1993 - almost 26 years after
the loss - was announced on Friday, 27 Oct 2000. Only five of the men could be
positively identified by means of DNA analysis - Darcy, Eckley, Parker, Fisher,
and Williams. The remaining individually unidentifiable remains were grouped as
remains "from an incident involving" 11 men. On 6 November 2000 the remains were
turned over to the crewmen's' families for burial, and on 15 November 2000 the
remains were interred in a group burial in one casket in Arlington National
Cemetery under a headstone bearing all 11 crewmen's names.

NOTE: CMSgt Jack McCray
daughter called 3/5/2015 and reported that his remains were never recovered
along with 2 other men, based on her research, he was on the Last Known Man
Alive List.

SYNOPSIS: The Lockheed C130 Hercules,
or "Herc" for short, was multi-purpose propeller driven aircraft used as a
transport, tanker, gunship, drone controller, airborne battlefield command and
control center, weather reconnaissance and electronic reconnaissance platform;
as well as search, rescue and recovery aircraft. In the hands of the "Trash
Haulers," as the crews of the Tactical Air Command transports styled themselves,
the C130 proved to be the most valuable airlift instrument in the Southeast Asia
War. They were so valuable, in fact, that Gen. William Momyer, 7th Air Force
Commander, refused for a time to let them land at Khe Sanh when the airstrip was
under fire from NVA troops surrounding the base. The C130 was critical in
resupplying American and allied troops in this area, and when it could not land,
it delivered its payload by means of a parachute drop.

At 0430 hours, the pilot made radio
contact with the Nha Trang air traffic control tower reporting the mission was
progressing as scheduled. When no further radio contact could be established
with the aircraft or its crew, and it failed to return to base at the time its
fuel supply was exhausted, search and rescue (SAR) efforts were organized. The
last radio transmission with the C130E placed the Herc over a region that was
sparsely populated approximately 7 miles south of Ban Nam Muong, 19 miles
southwest of Ban Ko La, 28 miles southwest of the Vietnamese/Chinese border and
41 miles northeast of the Vietnamese/Lao border. Over the next two weeks 1
electronic search and 3 photo reconnaissance missions were conducted over these
extremely rugged enemy controlled mountains of northwestern North Vietnam. When
no trace of the aircraft or crew was found, the formal search was terminated on
29 January 1968. At that time all eleven crewmen were listed Missing in Action.In April 1991 the US government
released a list of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action who were known to be
alive in enemy hands and for whom there is no evidence that he or she died in
captivity. This list, commonly referred to today as the USG's "Last Known Alive
(LKA)" list, included Jack McCrary. According to a Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
report dated 1979, there was "radio contact with TSgt. McCrary" some time after
the aircraft was declared overdue.In a 1992 letter to Senator John
Kerry, Major Van Buren's son wrote: "This highly classified aircraft was loaded
with electronic warfare equipment including terrain following radar and, as
such, I don't see it crashing into the side of a mountain as the Air Force would
have us believe." He went on to say that he believes "the aircraft was caught
over China, shot down or forced down, and the crew taken prisoner by the Chinese
or Soviets."In August 1992, the Vietnamese Office
Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) reported to US officials that it had conducted
a unilateral investigation/recovery mission in Lai Chau Province and presented
information to them concerning this case along with photos of a crashsite. The
Vietnamese also reported they recovered some remains at this location.In October 1992, a team from the Joint
Task Force for Full Accounting (JTFFA) made the arduous trip to this isolated
crashsite previously investigated by VNOSMP near Phu Nhung Village, Tuan Giao
District, which is situated at approximately 4300 feet in rugged mountains that
could only be reached by a six-hour trek. The team members interviewed
villagers, one of whom said that immediately after the crash, there were too
many aircraft flying around to risk going to the crashsite. Later he did go
there twice where he saw bodies in the wreckage and left without taking anything
away with him. Shortly thereafter other villagers traveled to the site and began
hauling away pieces of metal. Another villager said he hiked to the C130E's site
three times. On each of these trips he also saw bodies in the wreckage. Further,
the Tuan Giao District Assistant Chief stated the crash happened in an area
inhabited by ethnic minorities who are not often in touch with local authorities
because of terrain and distance.

On 30 October 1992, four sets of
remains were turned over by the Vietnamese. The next day, 31 October, "an
additional" four sets of human remains were shown to the team along with a
Geneva Convention Card, and identification tag and an aircraft data plate. On 8
November, the team traveled again to the crashsite to interview more villagers,
and again they gathered more information about remains collected from the site
by local residents as late as October 1991.In spite of the fact that the 1992
JTFFA team recommended this site not be excavated due to the serious logistic,
operational and recovery problems, a full scale excavation operation was
initiated a year later. During the excavation, aircraft wreckage, survival gear
and human remains including teeth and literally hundreds of bone fragments were
recovered.On 8 June 1994, a Vietnamese citizen
turned over an unspecified number of bone fragments to JTFFA's Detachment 2 in
Hanoi and reported that another resident of Son La Province had remains and
material evidence belonging to men aboard this C130E. Later that month JTFFA
team members traveled to Son La Province to investigate this report further. At
that time they received some remains, but believed the villager(s) had chosen to
hold either remains and/or material evidence back from those they considered
outsiders. The Vietnamese Border Defense Forces representative agreed to
continue the investigation noting that "local people considered US and Central
Vietnamese outsiders." According to the JTFFA site report, the remains recovered
by the Son La People's Committee were repatriated to US control on 13 February
1995.By August 1997, the search for the
crewmen of the C130E took another unusual turn. Another Vietnamese presented
Detachment 2 with a rubbing of a military dogtag for Col. Fisher. She said some
close friends are holding identification tags and a skull at their home. She
said she would return to their homes and encourage the friends to turn in the
remains. She also told them she repeatedly dreamed she would meet a man with
American remains who would ask for her help. She went on to say the man
approached her on a Hanoi street and gave her a dogtag rubbing, then asked her
to take it to Detachment 2. She said she did not know the man's name, and he
never contacted her again.In January 1998, yet another
Vietnamese reported to Detachment 2 that a relative found remains and an ID tag
in Tuan Chau District. He said he was holding other remains associated with this
incident. As proof he presented them with a computer-printed replica of Col.
Fisher's dogtag and a ½ inch bone fragment. He said he had the real dogtag and a
full set of remains. Upon examination by the Central Identification Laboratory,
Hawaii (CIL-HI), the bone fragment was determined to be Mongoloid.Six months later, in June 1998, the
same Vietnamese who made the January report adjusted it. He said he went to a
wedding in Thuan Chau Village, and his nephew told him local residents had the
remains of an American soldier. His nephew took him to another village where he
was shown several large pieces of bone. He thought they were American due to
their size and the presence of an identification tag. These people told him they
bought the remains from an ethnic Hmong. When queried about the man and village,
he said he could not remember the name or the village and could not contact his
nephew by telephone.The remains turned over by the
Vietnamese were combined with the remains recovered during the crash site
excavation, which was closed on 13 December 1993. All the remains were
transported to CIL-HI for examination. Of the 11 men on board the C130E, both
dental and mt-DNA were used to positively identify Edward Darcy, Wayne Eckley
and James Williams. Frank Parker and Donald Fisher were positively identified by
mt-DNA only. According to CIL-HI analysis, no individual association could be
made between hundreds of fragments and specific crewmen. The fragments were
fractured in a manner consistent with an aircraft crash and were all in a
similar state of preservation. Consequently, these individually unidentifiable
remains were grouped as remains "from an incident involving" 11 men. While CIL-HI
made this determination for the entire crew on 9 March 2000, the announcement
was not made public until the US Air Force had the opportunity to contact all of
the crewmen's families. All remains were turned over for burial on 6 November
2000. On 15 November 2000, these remains were interred in a group burial in one
casket in Arlington National Cemetery under a headstone bearing all 11 crewmen's
names.The families of Charles P. Claxon,
Gerald G. Van Burin, Edwin N. Observe Jr., Donald E. Fisher, Frank C. Parker
III, Gordon J. Weans, Jean P. Clapper, Wayne A. Beckley, Jack McCrary, Edward J.
Darcy, and James R. Williams finally have the peace of mind and know within
reason where their loved ones are buried. For other Americans who remain
unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, their fate could be quite different.
Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of our government has
received American prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for. Many of
these reports document LIVE America Prisoners of War remaining captive
throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.Pilots and aircrews were called upon
to fly in many dangerous circumstances, and they were prepared to be wounded,
killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be
abandoned by the country they so proudly served.